The First Trees
Christmas Trees
haven't always been a Christmas Tradition. No
one really knows who put up the first Christmas
tree, but some historians believe that even the
Egyptians and Romans used some form of an
evergreen to decorate their homes in late
December.
It is generally agreed that the first use of
a tree as part of the Christian Christmas
celebration was started over 400 years ago by
the Germans.
The Christmas tree was brought to America by
the Hessian mercenaries that were paid to fight
for the British during the Revolutionary War. In
1804, soldiers stationed at a fort near Chicago
hauled trees to their barracks during Christmas.
In 1842, a German named Charles Minnegerode
introduced the custom of decorated Christmas
trees in Williamsburg, Virginia homes. His tree
was described as being "splendidly decorated"
with strings of popcorn, nuts, and lighted
candles.
By 1900, one in five American families
decorated trees during Christmas and by 1930,
the tree had become a nearly universal part of
the American Christmas. |